5 Ways to Build Your Business This Summer

Remember when you were a kid and summer was a time of adventure and seemingly endless days?

Now, it seems like summertime for entrepreneurs means everyone is going on vacations, and the expectation is that it’s just going to be slow for a few months.

You don’t have to accept the situation that everyone else believes. Now’s the time to recharge your entrepreneurial spirit and GROW your business!

Here are 5 ideas to inspire you to build your business this summer:

1- Reconnect with clients.

Reach out to your previous clients and ask about their progress and developments. As fast as our world moves, it can be difficult to really keep up with people. Don’t let the convenience of Facebook or LinkedIn lull you into believing you shouldn’t write a personal note to people you’ve worked with in the past.

Mark my words – they’ll appreciate that you thought of them and took the time to reach out! They may even know somebody new they can refer to you, but may not have connected the dots on their own.

Always remember that the transformational industry is about people and relationships!

2- Reconnect with other business contacts.

While you’re reaching out to previous clients, reach out to your other business contacts you haven’t spoken to in a while. Consider how you can connect people within your own network and use that as an ‘excuse’ to touch base. (You really don’t need an ‘excuse’ – I promise.)

Ask your contacts what they’ve been up to and, if it feels right, offer new business partnership ideas. This worked for me recently. While going through my old emails, I found one from a previous JV partner who had proposed a partnership that didn’t work at that time. I touched base with her and she was very receptive to another partnership idea I had. It makes sense for both of us at this time in our businesses. Sometimes the timing has to be right, but you won’t know unless you ask.

3- Take inventory of your assets.

You’ve been busy over the last year, right? You’ve likely created a lot of content. Take this time to consider how your content can be repurposed.

That blog series that got a lot of engagement could be turned into a new freebie. That ebook you created could become a few blog posts. How can you use your successful webinar in new ways?

Break your larger content into smaller offerings and connect your smaller content in new ways. The possibilities are almost endless!

4- Spend 30 days exploring a new platform or skill.

Remember your school days – when summer meant time AWAY from learning? Turn that on its head and use summer as time for independent study!

Invest in yourself with personal development. Don’t just use 30 minutes to try to learn something new. That’ll leave you frustrated (and, frankly, not very good at the new skill). Then again, you don’t have to commit to the new platform or skill FOREVER, either. That’ll leave you feeling overwhelmed (and not sure it’s worth it).

But 30 days is enough time to really learn something new and to know if it’s a good fit for you and your business. And relax, there’s no test at the end!

5- Expand your office.

Take advantage of this wonderful time of year by taking your laptop and your ideas outside. The sun’s setting later and the natural light is so much nicer than fluorescent! Grab a glass of iced tea and listen to the birds as you type your next email. You’ll likely feel refreshed and creativity may just sneak up on you.